LETTER- Look at whole picture

Your [February 8] cover story, "(Re)cycle of life: We want to believe" fails to address some of the costs of materials regarding recycling. For just one example, aluminum is usually strip mined as bauxite. Transforming bauxite into aluminum requires an enormous amount of electricity. When you recycle a can, you save the electricity, lower the amount of the pollution caused by the generation of electricity, and lessen the environmental impact of strip mining. So your old beer can can give you cleaner air, tidier streets, beautiful vistas.

Recycling isn't just about making money by reselling trash or the appeal of paying less for landfill space. It's about conserving the natural resources that are a gift from God and using them wisely. When you print that recycling doesn't pay, you aren't looking at all the potential payoffs.

Surely you enjoy breathing cleaner air? Titling the article "the cycle of life," but not even considering how less waste affects our life positvely in a broader context is short-sighted.